Wounded In The Battle
by EOLuvFrv
Summary: Life is full of battles that we must fight. Olivia has fought more than her fair share of battles. And now there's a little girl, who's been wounded in life's battles, depending on Olivia and Elliot. Can they find her in time to save her?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns all recognizable characters. I'm just borrowing them for a little while, I promise to return them in perfect condition!**_

**_A/N: This comes from a kinda strange idea that bugged me until I started writing it. I'm not saying that there's NOT a story out there like this, cause there very well might be. But if it is, I haven't seen it yet! Let me know what you think ok?_**

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>

Detectives Elliot and Olivia Stabler sat at their desks, facing each other, as they both worked to finish paperwork on their recently completed case. Both were tired and ready to go home but a glance at the clock proved it was only early afternoon, nowhere near time to go home.

Olivia sighed as her desk phone rang. Continuing to write, she picked it up, "Detective Stabler." There was a brief pause. "Yes, that's me," she responded, still not looking up from her paperwork. Another brief pause, followed by the sound of Olivia's pen hitting her desk.

Elliot looked up from his own paperwork. A frown of concern crossing his face as his wife looked up.

She met his gaze, the color slowly draining from her face.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"What about Embree?" Her voice was strained.

Elliot's eyes widened as he watched Olivia's expression swing from worry to anger, then back to worry again.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Oh no…" Elliot mumbled as he dropped his pen and quickly scooped up the paperwork off of his desk. He reached over and grabbed Olivia's as well before standing. He hurried over and handed the papers to Fin, "Can you take care of these for us?"

"What's going on?" Fin asked as he took the papers.

Elliot shook his head and called out, "Cap!"

"Where's Embree?" Olivia's voice rose in pitch as well as in volume. She paled even more as she listened to the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Cap!" Elliot called again as he began hurriedly gathering his and Olivia's things.

"What's wrong?" Captain Cragen asked, stepping out of his office just in time to hear Olivia yell.

"_**How can you not know where she is? You're idiots! I'll find her on my own, don't trouble yourselves!"**_

Fin and Munch stood as Olivia slammed the phone down, rattling everything on her desk.

"What's going on?" Captain Cragen asked, coming out of his office.

"We have to go…" Olivia looked from Cragen to Elliot. _**"now."**_

"Baby…" It slipped out as he took a step closer to her. He never let their private life slip into their work life, but the look of panic on her face had him reeling.

"Now," she repeated, her hands and voice shaking as she reached for her badge, gun and keys. "We have to go now."

"Not until you tell me what's up," Cragen spoke up, stopping her mid-stride.

"It's personal, Cap," she sighed then ran a shaking hand over the top of her head and through her hair. "Can I fill you in later? I have to go find Embree."

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><p><em><strong>Flashback:<strong>_

_A Little Over Four Years Earlier:_

_Elliot and Olivia sat in the New Jersey hospital waiting room, holding hands. The small, quiet room was empty, except for the two of them. The soothing blue hue of the walls helped to calm her nerves a tiny bit. And the surprising plush couch allowed her to settle into him, drawing strength from his presence._

"_Hey…" Elliot whispered as he gently squeezed his wife's hand._

"_Humm?" Olivia's nervous gaze turned to meet his calm gaze._

"_Everything's gonna be ok." _

"_I hope so." _

"_It will. Trust me."_

"_I do. It's not you I'm worried about."_

"_We're gonna work this out," he promised as he held her trembling hand tighter._

_She nodded silently, fighting to hold back tears._

_Elliot let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her even closer to him._

"_What if something goes wrong? What if she's… sick?" Her voice was almost inaudible._

"_The doctors' are taking good care of her… of both of them. And if she's sick… then we'll deal with it."_

"_You're amazing, you know that?" Olivia looked up at him, tears slipping down her face._

_He smiled, reached over with his other hand and gently wiped away tears. "Nah. I just love you. You and that little girl."_

"_I love you, too," she whispered as she returned his smile then laid her head on his shoulder._

_He kissed the top of her head and settled back to wait._

_It wasn't long before they were startled out of their quiet reflection when a nurse stepped into the waiting room. "Detective Stabler?"_

_Elliot and Olivia both stood quickly._

"_Yes?" Olivia asked anxiously as she gripped her husband's hand tightly._

"_You can come back now," the nurse smiled._

"_Is…" her voice wavered. "Is she ok?"_

"_She's fine. A beautiful little girl." _

"_She's not…" She bit her bottom lip, nervously. "Is she sick?"_

"_No," the nurse's voice was kind and reassuring._

_Olivia sighed in relief, raising a trembling hand to her heart. "Oh, thank God."_

_Elliot pulled her into his chest, holding her tight. Gratitude flowing through both of them._

"_Now, let's get you into some scrubs and back there to see the precious little one. She's waiting to meet you." _

_A few minutes later, Elliot and Olivia, both in scrubs, entered a hospital room and looked around anxiously._

"_Come on in," the nurse smiled welcomingly. "You want to hold her?"_

"_Yes!" Olivia answered quickly as she crossed the room. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest; she waited eagerly for her first glimpse of the baby who had immediately captured her heart almost 9 months before._

"_Get comfortable," the nurse nodded toward a couple of rocking chairs. "I'll bring her to you."_

_Olivia sat and Elliot pulled the second rocking chair closer as he too took a seat._

"_Here we go…" The nurse gently lowered a small pink bundle into Olivia's arms then quietly slipped out of the room._

_Tears of happiness flowed down Olivia's cheeks as Elliot reached over and gently pulled the blanket back revealing the tiny face of a beautiful, brown eyed, dark haired baby girl. _

"_Oh El…" Olivia breathed, "She's gorgeous!"_

"_She looks like you, Liv."_

"_No," she wiped away a few tears as she stared down at the tiny bundle in her arms. "She's perfect."_

_Elliot leaned over and kissed Olivia's cheek._

"_She needs us," her voice shook with emotion. _

"_She has us."_

"_We have to protect her."_

"_Always," he promised._

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><p>"Alright," Captain Cragen agreed. "But please answer one question before you go."<p>

"What, Cap?" She sighed as she reached for Elliot's hand. She closed her eyes as she waited for the question she knew was coming.

"Who's Embree?"

Elliot squeezed her hand in silent support and Olivia opened her eyes, tears glistening but not falling. "My sister," she answered quietly. "I have to go find my sister."

And with that, Elliot and Olivia walked out of the squad room hand in hand, leaving three very surprised men staring after them in shock.

After driving over half an hour in silence, Elliot finally spoke. "Did you see the looks on their faces?"

Shaken out of her own little world, Olivia turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"Captain, Munch and Fin," he glanced over at her then turned his eyes back to road. "Did you see the looks on their faces when you said 'sister'?"

"No," she responded as she turned to look out the passenger window again.

"I've never seen any of them look so shocked."

"Mmmm," she mumbled in response.

"We'll have a lot of explaining to do when we get back."

"How am I supposed to explain the existence of a little sister that no one but us knows about?"

Elliot drove one handed as he reached over and took his wife's hand. "It's going to be ok," he tried to reassure her. "We're in this together. We'll handle it and work it all out."

Olivia sighed and gently squeezed his hand. "I hope so."

"Have a little faith in me," he glanced at her and she knew he was teasing her by the sparkle in his eyes.

"I do," she smiled. "We just have to find her first."

"We will. We won't give up until we do."

"How the heck did they wind up in Springfield, Missouri?"

"They were running, baby. They knew we were getting close to being able to take Embree from them."

Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her face. "So they took it upon themselves to run."

"They know that Embree wants to live with us. They know that she feels safer with us than she does with them."

"That's because we don't beat the poor girl," she muttered as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Turning her face from him, she watched out the passenger window as hurtful memories of the abuse she endured as a child flooded her mind.

"And we never will," he reassured her. "Love is not violent.

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><p><em><strong>AN 2: So, what do you think? Is this worth continuing? Or is it too strange? Please review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Re-uploading to correct a few mistakes I didn't catch before I uploaded this the first time!**_

_**Disclaimer: They're not mine but I sure wish they were! All recognizable characters belong to Dick Wolf.**_

_**A/N: Thanks to my wonderful betas! Much love to you both!**_

_**I forgot to mention this in my A/N in the first chapter... but I know that married couples are not allowed to be NYPD partners in real life. However, this is fanfic land and in this fic Elliot and Olivia have been married around 10 years and they are still partners at work. Their marriage is not a secret; Cragen and all the others have known all along.**_

_**I'm sorry if things are a little confusing at first. But keep reading, most questions should be answered by flashbacks and as the story progresses. Please feel free to ask me questions in reviews if you're confused. I can't promise I'll answer all questions immediately but I'll answer as best as I can without revealing what's in store for future chapters! **_

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><p><span>Chapter Two<span>

A couple of hours after their sudden departure, Elliot and Olivia sat in a diner somewhere in Pennsylvania. The diner was small, just big enough for 5 seats at the counter and 4 booths. But the food was good and the service was prompt and friendly.

"Sweetheart," Elliot broke the silence between them. "Please eat," he eyed the food on his wife's plate as she pushed it around with her fork.

"I can't," she sighed. "I'm too worried."

He reached across the booth and took her hand, "I know… I'm worried about her too." He knew how hard this was on her. The moment Serena told them of her pregnancy, Olivia had fallen hopelessly in love with her baby sister… they both had. They immediately took it upon themselves to protect the baby, to try and prevent her from suffering the abuse that Olivia had to endure at the hands of their mother. Just the thought of anyone hurting this precious little girl broke both of their hearts.

"She must be scared out of her little mind," tears pooled in Olivia's eyes. "She was just in a horrible car crash that killed her mom and put her dad in a coma. And now, she's separated from us, the only other people she really knows."

He remained quiet, but gently squeezed her hand, silently encouraging her to continue.

"What if she's hurt? I don't even know if she's hurt, El."

"Let's not jump to conclusions until we know something for sure."

"Why else wouldn't she be at the same hospital as Serena and Bruce?"

"I don't know, honey. Maybe CPS has her in foster care."

"But the hospital would know that… they said there was no record of a child being brought in with them at all," she bit her bottom lip as she fought to keep the tears at bay.

"Livvy…" Elliot quickly moved around the table and slid into the booth next to his wife. He wrapped his arm around her and gently pulled her close. "It's gonna be ok, Love," he whispered to her. "We'll find her, I promise."

She leaned against him, unable to hold the tears back any longer. "She's my baby, El," she cried. "She always has been, even before she was born."

"I know," he reached up and gently wiped away her tears.

"What if -"

He cut her off before she could voice her thought. "Don't assume the worse," he kneaded her neck, trying to relieve some of her stress.

Olivia took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "Let's get back on the road."

"You've barely eaten, honey."

"I can't… my stomach's in knots."

"Ok, well, let's get a to-go box. Maybe you'll feel like eating later."

She nodded as she used a napkin to wipe away the tracks left by her tears. She sighed quietly, thankful for her husband; so very thankful that he had warmly and readily welcomed her sister into their lives and that he shared her desire to raise the little girl as their own child.

He motioned to the waitress and asked for a to-go box along with their ticket.

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><p><em><strong>Flashback:<strong>_

_Three Months Earlier_

"_There's my lovely ladies!" Elliot called from the kitchen when he heard the front door to their apartment open and quickly close._

"_How'd you know it was us?" a small voice rang out._

_Elliot turned around and smiled when he found his wife standing in the kitchen doorway with the small four year old on her hip. He took a few steps to cross the kitchen. "Cause I smelled ya," he teased as he reached out and tweaked his young sister-in-law's nose with his left hand._

"_Nuh uh!" she squealed with laughter. "We were too far away!"_

"_Well," he pretended to think. "Would you believe I heard your hair growing?"_

"_No!" laughter rolled from her. "You can't hear hair grow, silly!" She turned and finally saw the pizza pan in Elliot's right hand. She gasped excitedly and wiggled until Olivia put her down. "Is that cheese pizza?" she asked, her eyes wide._

"_It -" Elliot's words died in his throat when he got his first glance at the child's right cheek. He shook himself mentally and forced a cheerful smile. "It sure is, pumpkin. With lots and lots of extra cheese!"_

"_That's my favorite!"_

"_I know! That's why I made it for you, birthday girl!"_

"_But my birthday was yesterday, not today."_

"_I know that, too. But Livvy and I didn't get to see you yesterday, so we're gonna celebrate today."_

_The little girl's eyes danced with excitement. "Really?"_

"_Really," Olivia spoke up. "Embree, go get your suitcase and take it to the guest room, baby. I left it by the front door."_

"_Ok, Livvy!" the beautiful little girl exclaimed as she ran from the kitchen._

_Once he was sure she was out of hearing distance, Elliot looked at Olivia, the anger evident on his face. "Which one of them did it this time? Serena or her rat bastard husband, Bruce?"_

"_I don't know," Olivia answered quietly, her eyes flashed in anger as well. "It was the first thing I saw when I walked in that house. I asked, I demanded, I even begged trying to find out which one of them it was."_

"_And they both denied it."_

"_Of course," she rubbed her face with both hands. "And Embree's too scared to tell me who did it."_

_He practically growled as he turned and walked back across the kitchen. "Such a huge bruise on a tiny face," he grumbled as he put the pizza in the oven._

"_And it's fresh," she answered. "They probably smacked her around yesterday… on her birthday… her __**fourth**__ birthday, El. She's too young to have to deal with this."_

_They were shaken from their quiet conversation by excited squeals coming from the guest room. They both laughed lightly._

"_I'm guessing she found the gifts on the bed," Elliot grinned._

"_And the birthday decorations all over the room," Olivia added with a sad smile. "She's so easy to please; it doesn't take much to make her happy."_

"_Hey…" he spoke softly. "We're gonna win this. Our new lawyer is tough."_

"_Is he tough enough?" she asked, the fear evident in her voice and in her words._

_Elliot pulled Olivia into a tight hug and whispered into her hair. "No way is he giving up. We're getting closer. We'll have custody of her soon."_

"_Hopefully before she has to go back home to them," Olivia sighed._

"_How long do we have with her this time?"_

"_I asked for a week. But they only agreed to three days."_

_~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~_

_Hours Later ~ Around 2 AM_

_Elliot and Olivia were jerked awake by a loud knocking on the front door of their apartment._

_Olivia looked over at the bedside clock. She frowned as the knocking continued. "Who in the world is banging on our door at two in the morning?"_

"_I don't know," Elliot grumbled. "But I'm about to find out." He got out of bed and pulled on his robe, retrieving his gun from where he kept it in the drawer of the bedside table._

_The knocking grew louder and Embree's tearful, terrified voice cried out from the guest room. "Livvy!"_

_Olivia jumped out of bed, pulling her robe on as well, as she followed her husband out of their bedroom. "I'm coming, baby. It's ok," she called as she hurried across the hall and into the guest room. She crossed the room in a few long strides and quickly flipped on the bedside lamp. A soft, dim light spilled across the bed and Olivia's heart immediately went out to the young child. "I'm here, angel. I'm here."_

_The knocking grew louder yet again and Embree jumped in fear. She scurried across the bed, her arms held out to her older sister and tears rolling down her cheeks._

_Olivia sat on the bed and quickly but gently gathered Embree in her arms. "Shhh, Little Love. I've got you," she soothed as she held the small child to her._

_Reaching the front door, Elliot pulled back the safety on his service weapon. He aimed it in front of him as he unlocked and opened the door._

"_Where's my daughter?" the man's voice was rough._

"_Bruce! Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

"_Yeah, I do. 2 AM. And I want my daughter home."_

"_You and Serena agreed to let her stay with us for three days."_

"_So, I changed my mind," Bruce growled._

"_Too late," Elliot started to shut the door in his face._

_Bruce punched the door before it closed, knocking it back, making it hit the wall as it bounced back open. "That's where you're wrong." He stepped into the apartment and yelled. "Embree! Get your little butt out here, right now!"_

"_Shut up! You're gonna wake up all our neighbors," Elliot tried to shush the older man._

"_Embree!" he yelled again._

_Olivia stepped out into the living room holding the young girl on her hip. "Hush!" She spoke harshly to the unwelcome visitor who was standing in the middle of her living room._

_Unwilling to risk an accident, injuring his wife and the child they loved as their own, Elliot quickly put the safety back on and tucked his gun away out of reach._

"_Come, Embree. We're going home," Bruce took a step toward them._

_Olivia turned, putting herself between her step-father and her little sister. Her voice turned cold, "Walk away, Bruce. Walk away now. Embree is staying with me." _

"_She's going home with me," his voice was just as cold as hers._

"_I don't wanna go," Embree cried and tightened her grip around Olivia's neck._

"_Shhh," Olivia soothed, rubbing the child's back._

_Bruce moved around to Olivia's other side and grabbed ahold of Embree._

"_NO!" the little girl sobbed, holding even tighter to her sister. "I wanna stay with Livvy and El!"_

_Olivia held onto Embree. "Let her go!" _

"_We're going home… NOW!" Bruce's voice was harsh as he literally jerked the little girl out of Olivia's arms. He started toward the door as Embree kicked and fought against him. _

_She wiggled, squirmed and maneuvered herself until she was tucked under his arm and he held her as if she was a football. Crying, begging and reaching for her sister._

_Olivia chased after Bruce as he walked out of the apartment and down the hall. "Give her back!" she whispered loudly, trying not to disturb her neighbors._

_Bruce turned back suddenly with a wild swing, connecting immediately with Olivia's face. Then continued on toward the elevator with Embree still tucked under his arm._

_Caught off guard by the movement as well as the force of the punch, Olivia was knocked off her feet. She landed on the floor, flat on her back._

"_Liv!" Elliot gasped as he ran over, dropping down beside her. "Are you ok?"_

"_I'm fine," she scrambled to her feet with his help then rushed toward the elevator, reaching it just as the doors closed. "No!" she yelled, hitting the doors with her fists as the sound of her little sister's cries for her faded away. She quickly turned and headed for the stairs, determined to catch them._

_Elliot raced down the stairs behind her, both barefoot and in nothing but their pj's and robes._

_A few minutes later, they returned, empty-handed and silently made their way back into the apartment and to their bedroom. They shed their robes and crawled back into bed. _

"_We'll get her back," Elliot promised quietly, pulling Olivia to him as her silent tears flowed freely down her cheeks._

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><p>Back on the road, Elliot drove as Olivia navigated from the passenger seat. She watched the GPS, double checking it against the atlas in her lap.<p>

"We're making good time," he spoke, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah," she answered as she checked The Weather Channel app on her iPhone. "But I think we're gonna have to stop soon. We're gonna run into some pretty severe storms if we don't."

"We'll get a hotel room and catch a few hours of sleep."

Olivia nodded, even though she knew he probably couldn't see her in the dark car, especially with his attention focused on the road ahead of them. She sighed softly, trying to calm her nerves. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For this. For dropping everything to go find Embree."

"I love her, too, Sweetheart."

"I know you do," she answered honestly.

"She never belonged with them," he said quietly.

"All they ever did was hurt her," Olivia swallowed hard. "Serena insisted that she had changed and was a better mother. But she wasn't, she was just as bad as she was when I was a kid. Embree's so precious; I just don't understand how she could hurt her and allow Vincent to hurt her too. There's no way I could ever do that."

"That's because you have a mother's heart, baby. She never has."

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><p><em><strong>AN 2: Where is Embree? Is she hurt? Will Olivia and Elliot be able to find her? These answers coming soon if you want! **_

_**Please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not mine! Would be nice if they were, but alas they're not. All recognizable characters belong to Dick Wolf. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.**

**A/N: First to the readers: Thanks for the great reviews! And please keep reviewing! Hang on tight, I'm not entirely sure how rough this ride is gonna be or where exactly it will take us!**

**To my betas: What a blessing you ladies are to me! I can never thank you enough for your unending patience, unmatched editing and unconditional friendship! I love you!**

**WARNING: If you are a child abuse survivor like me please, please, please, PLEASE use discretion in whether or not you read this chapter! The flashback in this chapter could potentially be triggering. It's not as graphic as it could be but it was still hard to write. There is no "active" abuse but it does deal with the aftermath of abuse.**

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><p><span>Chapter Three<span>

The next morning, long before the sun was up, Olivia was up and ready to get back on the road. "Are you ready?" she called to her husband through the bathroom door of their hotel room.

"Almost," he called back from the other side of the door. A moment later, he stepped out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt.

Olivia smiled slightly as she briefly allowed herself to admire how handsome her husband always looked. She moved closer and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Let's get going," she said as she pulled away.

Elliot nodded as he zipped up their shared overnight bag. "I'll get the car and bring it up to the lobby doors while you go check us out."

She was out the door and headed toward the lobby before he even finished speaking.

He shook his head with a small smile then picked up their bag and walked out to the car.

Less than two minutes later, Olivia exited the hotel lobby and got into the car with two cups of coffee.

"Where'd you find this?" Elliot asked as he gratefully accepted the cup that she held out to him.

"In the lobby, it's not very hot but it can't be any worse than the sludge that Munch calls coffee."

"True," he laughed. "Very true."

They rode in comfortable silence for awhile, each sipping from their cups of mediocre coffee. Time and miles seemed to drag as they drove through the early morning darkness.

Two hours later, just as the first pink fingers of light breeched the horizon, Elliot carefully rolled his neck while keeping his eyes on the road ahead of them. "Wanna stop and get a bite to eat?"

Olivia nodded in agreement. "Just something quick though."

"Of course, Love," Elliot answered with a quick glance in his wife's direction.

"I could use a cup of real coffee," she conceded.

"Me too. The hotel's was better than Munch's brew… but not by much!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback:<strong>_

_Ten Months Earlier_

_The ice clinked in her glass as Olivia set her iced tea down. "Are you kidding me?" she laughed. "He actually said that?"_

"_He actually said it!" her friend answered with a laugh._

"_Casey! You've got to be kidding me!" _

"_No," the strawberry blonde ADA responded as she forked another bite of her salad. "He actually said it, I promise!" _

_A smirk spread across Olivia's face as she looked across the restaurant table. "I bet Donnelly didn't fall for that."_

"_Not even close. She chewed him up one side and down the other."_

"_She doesn't put up with any crap in her courtroom."_

_Olivia shook her head with a smile. "I would've loved to have been there to see that!" Her cell phone rang from her pocket and she pulled it out, glancing at the caller ID. Recognizing the displayed number immediately, she frowned as she pushed away from the table. "I have to take this," she held up one finger, motioning for her lunch companion to wait as she stepped away for privacy. She quickly hit the accept button and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello? Mom?" her heart pounded in her chest as she received no answer but heard the painful cries of her three year old sister. "Embree?" Again no answer. "Embree, sweetheart, can you hear me?" Her heart pounded faster as she still received no answer. "Hang on, baby. I'm on my way. I'm on my way right now." Deciding to stay on the phone, in case she could hear anything to let her know what was happening, she hurried back to the table. She grabbed her purse, her phone still held to her ear. "I have to go, sorry Case," she apologized to her friend as she pulled out some money and tossed it on the table. "Will you take care of my bill for me?" Then she turned and hurried away, rushing out of the restaurant without waiting for an answer. _

_The drive to her mother's house seemed endless. Her heart broke with every cry she could hear coming from her young sister. When she finally pulled up in front of the house, she threw the car into park and jumped out, not caring that she left the door open and the car running._

_Olivia hung up the phone as she ran into the house. "Embree?" she hurried into the living room and found it empty. "Embree?" she called again. "Answer me, sweetheart. Where are you?" The sound of Embree's crying floated down the stairs and assaulted her ears. She turned quickly and rushed up the stairs to the second floor of the house. She ran down the hall, stopping momentarily at the master bedroom, just long enough to check on her mother. Realizing that Serena was passed out drunk, Olivia continued down the hall toward her little sister's room. She skidded to a stop in front of Embree's bedroom and looked in, surprised to find the room empty. She followed the crying further down the hall and into the guest bedroom. She gasped when she saw the tiny girl crumpled on the floor next to the closet. "Oh, darling," Olivia dropped to her knees beside the young girl._

_Embree slowly opened her eyes, tears streaming down her small, pale cheeks. Seeing her big sister, she cried even harder. "Sissy…" _

"_Shhh…" Olivia whispered as she gently brushed the hair off of Embree's face. "I'm here, baby. I'm here," she soothed, trying to calm the child's fears as she quickly looked her over for injuries. She held back her own tears as she saw the cuts and bruises on her little sister's face. She ran her hands down Embree's tiny body as gently as she could, searching for any more injuries the girl might have sustained._

"_Oww!" Embree sobbed when Olivia reached her lower right arm._

"_I'm sorry," Olivia responded as she continued her quick exam._

_Embree cried out in pain again as Olivia rubbed down her sides, over her ribs. _

_Olivia bit back the stream of expletives that ran through her mind and threatened to spill out of her mouth. She stood and crossed the room._

"_Don't leave me, Sissy!" Embree's pleas broke Olivia's heart even more. _

_She moved to the bed and quickly pulled the comforter off. "I'm not leaving you, Little Love," she spoke softly as she returned to where the small girl laid and knelt down again. As gently as she could, she rolled Embree over onto her side and wrapped her in the comforter. She stood again then leaned over and as gently as possible lifted her sister's tiny, broken body into her arms._

_An hour later, Olivia paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room with her cell phone held to her ear. "I'm at Grace Regional Hospital," she told her husband._

"_In Jersey?" Elliot's voice flowed through the phone line._

"_Yeah."_

"_How's Embree?"_

"_I dunno. They haven't let me see her since I brought her in," she sniffled, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape._

"_They're getting worse instead of better as she gets older."_

"_They crossed the line this time. I know from looking her over real quick that they broke her right arm and probably cracked a few of her ribs too. We've got to step up our attempts to have their parental rights revoked and adopt her ourselves…" she swallowed hard and her voice shook as she revealed her deepest fear. "If we don't hurry, they're gonna end up killing her one day."_

"_I'll call our lawyer on my way there," he answered. "Which one of them did it this time?"_

"_I dunno. Serena was passed out drunk on her bed, Bruce wasn't there and Embree was in too much pain and crying too hard to tell me which one hurt her." _

"_Just wait until I get my hands on them," the anger was evident in his voice._

"_El, no. Please no. You'll be arrested and thrown into jail!"_

"_We're cops, baby. That won't happen."_

"_Yes, it will! We're NYPD, not Jersey cops."_

"_Baby…" _

"_No, Elliot! Please! I need you with me! I can't afford to divide my attention between watching out for Embree and getting you out of jail. All my attention needs to be on her, right now."_

"_Ok, Love," he relented. "But I can't promise that I won't punch one of them if they show up and act out."_

_Olivia chuckled lightly. "And I wouldn't expect anything less from you."_

"_I'm on my way to you now. I told Cragen that we both needed a couple days off for a family emergency."_

"_You didn't tell him about Embree, did you?" there was an air of panic in her voice._

"_No, Baby," Elliot quickly reassured her. "I know it's better if no one knows about Embree until we have full and legal custody of her."_

"_Thanks," she whispered into the phone._

"_Just hang tight. I'll be there soon."_

"_I love you so much."_

"_I love you, too," he responded, the emotion audible in his voice._

_Olivia sighed, feeling a little better, as she hit the end button and slipped her cell phone into her pocket. She wiped away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks; she turned and headed toward the nurse's desk as she fingered her badge in her pocket, determined to get some info, one way or another, on how her baby sister was doing._

* * *

><p>"Liv?" her husband's questioning voice and his hand on her knee brought Olivia's mind back to the present.<p>

She shook her head, shaking the memories away. "I'm sorry. What'd you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to just get breakfast to go and keep driving."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I don't wanna waste any time; I wanna get to Springfield as soon as possible."

He pulled into the drive thru lane of the fast food restaurant and glanced over at his wife, concerned. "Where'd you go just then?"

She was silent for a few seconds before answering quietly. "Just remembering things that should have never happened."

He reached over and squeezed her hand, knowing that whatever she had been remembering was disturbing and painful.

She gave him a watery smile as tears pooled in her eyes. "I love you so much. I'm so thankful for you," she said as she squeezed his hand in return. "I can't imagine my life without you, I'd never want to be married to anyone else."

Not having the words to express what he wanted to say, Elliot leaned over, choosing to show his wife through his actions. His lips touched hers gently then he deepened the kiss, pouring all of his emotions, heart and soul into it. Telling her without words how much he loved her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: What will they find when they reach Springfield? Will they find Embree easily or will the search test their patience? What condition will Embree be in when Olivia and Elliot find her? Want the answers? You know what to do! Review and let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Dick Wolf.**_

_**A/N: Many thanks to my amazing betas who always keep me in line and catch all my mistakes! You ladies are the best! Much love to you both!**_

_**The flashback in this chapter is longer than the flashbacks in previous chapters. This one had a mind of its' own and ran away with me!**_

_**Please leave me a review, feedback helps and inspire more than you know!**_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Four<span>

"Where do we start?" Elliot spoke quietly as they finally passed a road sign welcoming them to Springfield.

Olivia picked up her iPhone and opened a list she had saved. "I looked up a list of Springfield hospitals this morning while you were in the shower. The hospital that called, where my mother and Bruce were taken, said that Embree wasn't there. So I guess we should try the others first. And then after we find her, we can stop at the hospital that called and make arrangements for mom."

"You think Embree's in a hospital?"

"I dunno. I think it's a strong possibility considering she had to have been with them in the wreck and apparently it was a really bad wreck."

"Maybe they left her at home with a babysitter?" Elliot suggested.

"No, they'd leave her home alone before they'd actually pay for a babysitter."

"Do you think she might be at home then?"

"I doubt it," Olivia sighed. "And anyway, I don't even know where they live since they left New Jersey."

"True. I wasn't thinking of that."

"They left because they knew that we're trying to get custody of Embree. They were paranoid enough to leave the state; I doubt they'd leave her home alone. They'd drag her along wherever they were going, just to make sure there's no way we could get to her without them knowing."

"Okay, so where's the first hospital on your list?" he asked as he reached over with one hand and gently squeezed his wife's hand.

"I'm not sure," she said as she gripped his hand, refusing to let go. She reached over with her free hand, grabbed their GPS and one-handedly typed in the first address.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback:<strong>_

_Two And A Half Years Earlier_

"_Hey Elliot," Fin called from his desk. "Where's Liv?"_

"_At the M.E.'s office," Elliot called back without looking up from his paperwork. "She should be back soon."_

"_Olivia's not in at the moment," Fin spoke into the phone. "Can I have her call you when she gets back?" He paused for a moment and listened to the caller on the other end. "Ok, hang on just a minute." He covered the mouthpiece of the phone and looked across the squad room. "El…" he called again._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Phone… they say it's urgent."_

_Elliot looked up with a frown. "Who is it?"_

_Fin shrugged. "They won't say."_

"_Transfer the call," Elliot said as he laid his hand on the handset of his desk phone, waiting._

_Fin did as asked then replaced the handset of his phone back into its' cradle._

_Elliot quickly picked up and answered with a slightly anxious greeting. "Detective Stabler, SVU."_

"_Detective Stabler," a soft female voice traveled across the wires. "This is Natalie at Dewdrop Daycare."_

"_Yes?" he answered. He knew immediately that something had to be wrong for his young sister-in-law's daycare to be calling them at work._

"_You and your wife asked us to call one of you directly if we ever saw anything suspicious with Embree."_

"_Yes ma'am," he answered as he closed the file he was working on and looked up toward his captain's office._

"_She was asleep this morning when Mrs. Serena dropped her off shortly before eight o'clock. An hour later, she woke up crying. That's highly unusual for Embree. She's almost always awake when she gets here; and on the rare occasion that she's not, she always wakes up happy."_

"_Right," Elliot agreed, knowing from experience, that the sweet 18 month old girl rarely woke up in a bad mood._

"_When I picked her up out of the baby bed, she flinched and cried harder. At first, I just thought she needed a diaper change. But when I raised her dress, I found bruises."_

"_Where?" he asked sharply. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand and turned toward Fin and Munch. "Call Liv. Get her back here __**NOW**__," he hissed at his co-workers._

"_One on her stomach, a couple on her back. But the worst ones are on her ribs," Natalie answered softly._

_Elliot slammed his hand down on his desk as a couple of expletives slipped past his lips._

"_We think maybe her head is hurting as well. She has no interest in playing with the other babies like she normally does. She just wants to lay in the baby bed and she's been keeping one arm across her head. We've tried everything, but she's been crying ever since she woke up. I'm afraid she's gonna make herself sick if she doesn't stop crying."_

"_We'll be on our way in a few minutes."_

"_Detective Stabler…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I'm sorry I called you at work… but you said - " _

"_No," Elliot interrupted before she could finish. "You did the right thing. Thank you," he sighed and rubbed his forehead as he tried to think quickly. "Listen, Natalie. Can you do me a favor?"_

"_Yes sir," she answered immediately._

_He dropped his voice to a barely audible whisper. "Is there a way, any way at all, that you could take Embree some place quiet… and dark?"_

"_That's exactly what I was thinking about doing," Natalie said. "I think a dark, quiet environment will help calm her down… especially if we're right about her head hurting too."_

"_Thank you. We'll be there within the hour," he promised before hanging up. He stood from his desk and started toward Captain Cragen's office._

"_Liv's on her way," Munch said as he hung up his phone as well._

"_Thanks," Elliot nodded toward his colleague. He quickly crossed the squad room, knocked once on the captain's door and immediately walked in without waiting for an invitation to enter. _

"_Elliot?" Captain Cragen asked, frowning in concern as the detective hurried in and closed the door behind him. "What's wrong?"_

"_Liv and I have to go," he answered, the anxiety written across his face._

"_Go?" the captain asked in concern. "Where?"_

"_I…" Elliot sighed. "I can't say. It's family related… a very touchy situation and quiet urgent."_

"_Alright," Cragen agreed immediately, knowing that his detective wouldn't be so upset if it wasn't important. "Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help."_

"_We will," the detective agreed. "Thank you." He bit his bottom lip momentarily. "I don't know how long we'll be gone. Maybe just a few hours… maybe a week or more."_

_The captain put his pen down. In silence, he looked closely at his detective for a few seconds. He sighed quietly, now knowing that something had to be really wrong. "Take all the time you need."_

"_Thank you," Elliot breathed a sigh of relief. He turned toward the closed door and started to leave but was stopped by his superior officer's voice._

"_Elliot."_

_He turned back and looked at his captain._

"_I'm here if I can help."_

"_I know… and that means a lot. Thanks, Cap."_

_Cragen nodded then pointed out the window of his office as Olivia ran in the squad room. "Go. Your wife's here."_

_~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~_

_Less Than An Hour Later_

_Elliot and Olivia rushed into the New Jersey daycare, hand in hand._

"_Where's my baby?" Olivia asked anxiously as they hurried into the nursery. "Where's my sister?"_

"_Detectives," a young twenty-something daycare employee responded from where she sat in the midst of the happy, active babies. _

_They both turned to look in her direction. "Lindsey, Where's -" Olivia began._

_The redhead broke in with a gentle smile before she could finish her question. "Natalie has her in the quiet room," she pointed to the small room, filled with baby beds, connected to but shut off from the nursery._

_Olivia nodded to Lindsey in thanks then turned toward the quiet room, still holding tight to Elliot's hand. She opened the door and stepped in, Embree's cries immediately bringing tears to her own eyes. She paused for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkened room; then let go of Elliot's hand and moved toward the rocking chair where Natalie sat with Embree. "Oh baby…" Olivia spoke quietly._

_Immediately recognizing her big sister's voice, Embree raised her head up from where it rested on Natalie's shoulder._

"_See?" Natalie whispered softly to the baby. "Sissy's here, just like I promised."_

_Embree turned in the caregiver's arms and reached out for Olivia. She cried harder now, out of desperation, knowing that the one person she wanted was there but still just out of reach._

"_Hey, hey, hey…" Olivia whispered as she quickly closed the gap between the rocker and herself. She reached out and gently pulled the baby into her arms. "Shhh, shhh, it's ok baby. I'm here, Little Love," she lightly rubbed Embree's back, unsure of where the bruises were._

_Embree wrapped her tiny arms around Olivia's neck and buried her face in Olivia's neck, her sobs slowly calming down._

_Natalie stood, walked over to the wall and flipped a switch, filling the quiet room with a dim light. "I know it'll be harder to see the bruises in here, but I'm afraid the bright lights in the nursery will make her head hurt worse."_

_Elliot nodded in agreement as he crossed the small room to where his wife stood, cradling Embree close to her. Looking over at Natalie, he asked, "Can you show us what you found?" _

"_Yes sir," she answered as she moved back to where they were standing. _

_Being careful to keep from disturbing her too much, Olivia gently adjusted the baby in her arms so the caregiver could get to the bruises._

_Embree whimpered and began to cry harder again as Natalie raised her dress._

"_Shhh, shhh," Olivia soothed. "It's ok, sweetheart."_

"_Here," Natalie pointed out the bruise on the baby's stomach and back. "But the worst ones are here," she said as she moved Embree's dress another way and revealed the red and purple, almost handprint shaped, bruises on her ribs._

_Olivia gasped slightly, trying not to scare the baby in her arms. "Those look like someone grabbed her around her ribs and squeezed hard."_

_Elliot growled quietly. "How could they do this to her? She's just a baby!" he took a couple of breaths, trying to calm the anger coursing through him. He sighed, then spoke again. "We need to take her to the doctor or the ER, Liv. They might have cracked or even broken some of her ribs."_

"_Yeah," Olivia agreed. "And since her head is hurting, I want a doctor to make sure they didn't hit her in head and give her a concussion or something." _

"_Good idea," Natalie said quietly as she lowered the baby's dress back into place._

"_Natalie," Olivia looked to the young girl. "Thank you so much for calling and alerting us to this."_

_Natalie nodded. "She needed you."_

"_I'm going to keep her with me for a few days," Olivia said. "She probably won't be back to daycare until next week at the earliest."_

_Natalie nodded again. "I understand."_

"_If Serena gives you any trouble when she comes to pick Embree up this evening, just call me," Elliot said. "I'll come back and take care of it."_

"_Yes sir. Lindsey and I were worrying about that, how we were gonna explain Embree's absence. Mrs. Serena is gonna be really pissed. She's always griping that you two are trying to take Embree from her," Natalie rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I'm glad you guys are trying to get custody of her. You're much better for her and she deserves better than Mrs. Serena and Mr. Bruce. It's easy to see how much you adore Embree. I really hope you get full custody of her, you'll be wonderful parents for her."_

"_Thanks. That means a lot to us." Elliot turned and glanced over at his wife. "Maybe I should be here when Serena comes in… just to be on the safe side."_

_Olivia nodded in agreement. "That would probably be best."_

"_Alright, let's take Little Bit to the ER now," he said then turned his attention back to Natalie. "And I'll be back before Serena gets here."_

"_Thank you," the young caregiver replied with a sigh of relief._

_Elliot gave her a small genuine smile. "No. Thank you for taking such good care of our little girl and for letting us know when things like this happen." He put his hand on the small of Olivia's back and led her toward the door._

"_Thanks, Natalie," Olivia said as she looked back over her shoulder. "See you soon, honey."_

_~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~EO~~_

_Hours Later ~ Close to 8 pm_

"_Oh thank God!" Olivia whispered with a sigh of relief as her husband entered their small hotel room. She rushed across the room to him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close as tears rolled down her face. "I was so worried," she whispered into his neck._

_Elliot closed the door with his foot as he held his wife. "Hey," he whispered. "I'm ok, baby, I'm ok." He looked over at the single king size bed. "How's Embree? Still sleeping?"_

_Olivia nodded without letting go of him. "The pain medicine the ER gave her made her sleepy." She pulled back slightly, just enough to look him in the face. She gasped quietly, when she saw the bruise on the side of his face and the cut on his bottom lip. "What happened?"_

"_Bruce," he answered with a sigh._

"_He hit you?" she asked in shock._

"_Yeah, but he only got one good punch on me," he said as he gently wiped away her tears. "He's not as powerful against someone his own size."_

"_You laid him out?" Olivia questioned with a slight smile._

"_Yeah, pretty much," Elliot responded with a smile of his own. "He was unconscious when the cops got there."_

_A quiet laugh escaped her lips. "That's my man! You always know how to take care of things."_

_Elliot smiled wider. "He's not used to anyone standing up to him."_

"_So what happened?"_

"_Serena went nuts when she found out Embree wasn't at the daycare and then she went ballistic when she realized that we had her."_

_"Did she scare the other kids?"_

_"No, I was able to get her back outside before she lost it."_

_"Good."_

_"Then she called Bruce and he showed up five minutes later."_

_"Let me guess, that's when he hit you..."_

_"Yeah, pretty much," he answered. "Of course they denied having anything to do with Embree's injuries."_

_Olivia glanced over at the bed, making sure her baby sister was still asleep. She shook her head. "I still don't understand how they can hurt her and not feel an iota of remorse. They cracked four of her ribs, bruised her tiny body and have the nerve to deny doing anything wrong. I'll never understand them, especially Serena," she sighed again. "Does she __**REALLY**__ think I'm that dumb? I grew up under her and suffered a lot of the same abuse... and Bruce is worse than she is, so much more violent than her. I can't believe that she expects me to believe she's innocent."_

_Elliot sighed as well and pulled his wife back into his arms. "I wish I had known you back then. You wouldn't have suffered through her abuse, I would have made sure of that."_

_"I know, honey," she responded softly. "You're such a good man. Not many men would love their baby sister-in-law as their own child; very few would be willing to fight for custody of her and for the right to adopt her."_

_"I can't help but love her," he said as he reached back behind himself and locked the deadbolt on their hotel door. He walked over to the small couch on the other side of the room, still holding Olivia. "She's such a beautiful, precious child. And she already looks so much like you," he grinned as he sat down and pulled his wife down into his lap._

_"I love you," she whispered as she smiled and wiped away a few tears._

_"I love you too," Elliot responed then gently tugged her face closer and kissed her lips. He pulled away after a few seconds. "I called our lawyer after Serena and Bruce were arrested and taken to jail."_

_"What did he say?"_

_"He wasn't there. But I left a message on his voice mail, explaining what happened today and telling him that we really need to work harder on getting their parental rights revolked. If he doesn't call me back tomorrow, I'll call him again."_

_"Thank you," Olivia sighed tiredly and laid her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I can't believe I'm so tired, it's not even 8:30 yet," she said with a yawn._

_"It's been a long day. I'm tired too," he rubbed her back soothingly. "Go on and get in bed, Sweetheart. I'll take a quick shower and come to bed too."_

_She raised up and rubbed her face. "That sounds really good," she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss before standing._

_He pushed up from the couch. "Yeah, I think so too."_

_She moved to the overnight bag that she had hastily packed before they got on the road earlier in the day. She rummaged around in the bag for a moment then tossed him a clean pair of boxers and sleep clothes._

_"Thanks," he said before disappearing into the small hotel bathroom._

_Olivia quickly changed into a pair of pj's, then double checked to makes sure the door was locked. She flipped out the overhead light then turned on the lamp in the corner, bathing the room in a dim light. She slipped into bed beside Embree and kissed the sleeping baby's cheek. "It's going to be ok, Little Love," she whispered. "I promise."_

_A few minutes later, Elliot came out of the bathroom and smiled at the sight in front of him. His wife was already asleep, her sister held gently yet securely in her arms. "So beautiful," he whispered as he crossed the room and leaned over, gently kissing Olivia's cheek then Embree's forehead. He moved over to the corner and turned off the lamp. Darkness filled the room and he carefully made his way back to the bed. He carefully slid into bed, making sure the baby was tucked safely between him and his wife. He sent a silent thank you toward Heaven, thankful that both of his girls were safe; then he closed his eyes and was quickly asleep as well._

* * *

><p>Olivia sighed as they pulled up in front of the fourth hospital on her list.<p>

Elliot quickly found an empty parking spot and pulled in. He shifted the gears into park and turned off the car. "Hey..." he reached over and laid his hand on her shoulder."We're gonna find her, I promise. We won't stop until we do."

"Thanks," she said softly as she fought to hold back a wave of tears. She reached up, placed her hand on top of his and squeezed gently.

A couple of minutes later, they approached the admissions desk with their police badges in their hands.

"Can I help you?" the admissions clerk smiled as she greeted them.

"Yes ma'am," Olivia said as she and Elliot both showed her their badges. "I received word from another local hospital that my mother and her husband were in a wreck."

The woman behind the desk nodded as she listened.

"But my little sister was not admitted at that hospital. I know she had to be with them when they wrecked. We think maybe she got separated from them in the confusion and taken to a different hospital."

"That's very possible," the employee agreed.

"Can you tell me if she was admitted here?" Olivia asked as unwelcome tears filled her eyes. "Please... she's only four years old. I have to find her."

"Of course," the older woman answered compassionately. "What's your sister's name, honey?"

"Embree," Olivia answered as she brushed the tears away before they could fall. "Embree Michelle Benson Weatherly."

The admissions clerk typed in the name and paused momentarily as the system quickly searched the database of patients. She frowned as the computer beeped a few seconds later. "She's not showing up."

Tears filled Olivia's eyes yet again and she swallowed back a sob.

The older woman behind the desk looked up and squinted slightly. "You said she's four. Right?"

"Yes ma'am," Elliot answered for Olivia. "She just turned four a few months ago."

She nodded. "Let me try something else..." she said as she re-entered the information and hit search again. Only a couple of seconds passed before the computer dinged. "Ah," the admission clerk smiled. "We have a four year old girl in Pediatrics. There's a note saying Child Protection Services have been contacted to step in because no parent or guardian has been located. No last name is listed but her first name is Embree."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN2: Humm... Have they really found Embree? And if so, what do they do next? Will they actually get custody of her? **_

_**Wanna know? Leave me a review!**_


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